Small Body (2022)

Small Body (Italian: Piccolo corpo) is a 2021 historical drama film directed by Laura Samani, in her feature film directorial debut, and written by Samani, Elisa Dondi and Marco Borromei from an original story by Samani. Set in rural early-20th century Northeast Italy, it follows a peasant mother (Celeste Cescutti) who travels to a sanctuary in the northern mountains to grant her unbaptised stillborn child access to Heaven, with the help of a rugged, new acquaintance (Ondina Quadri) as guide. An Italian-French-Slovenian co-production of Nefertiti Film, Rai Cinema, Tomsa Films, and Vision, it was shot entirely in Friulian and Venetian language for historical accuracy reasons.

It had its world premiere at the Critics' Week sidebar of the 74th Cannes Film Festival on 10 July 2021, before being released on 19 January 2022 in Slovenia by Vertigo, on 10 February 2022 in Italy by Istituto Luce, and on 16 February 2022 in France by Arizona Distribution. It won various accolades, including a David di Donatello for Best New Director and the European Film Award for the Discovery of the Year.

Plot

Agata's baby is stillborn. According to Catholic tradition, its soul is condemned to Limbo. When she hears of a church whose priest has the supernatural power to bring a dead child back to life she ventures on a journey with the child in a coffin on her back.

Cast

Reception

Small Body has an approval rating of 100% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 17 reviews, and an average rating of 7.7/10. Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 77 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Awards

David di Donatello Awards

2022 Winner David Best New Director (Migliore Regista Esordiente)

2022 Nominee David Best Song (Migliore Canzone)

Cannes Film Festival

2021 Nominee Grand Prix de la Semain de la Critique

2021 Nominee Caméra d'or

Premio Flaiano

2022 - Winner best first feature to Laura Samani

Bobbio Film Festival

Winner best first feature to Laura Samani

Premio "Beppe Ciavatta" - Winner Best New Director Laura Samani

Premio Suso Cecchi d'Amico - Best script (2022)

European Film Awards

2022 Winner European Film Award, European Discovery - Prix Fipresci

Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists

2022 Nominee Best New Director (Migliore Regista Esordiente)

London Film Festival

2021 Nominee Sutherland Award First Feature Competition

2021 Winner Sutherland Award - Honourable Mention

Molodist Kyiv International Film Festival

2022 Nominee International Competition: Full-Length Films

2022 Winner Special Jury Diploma International Competition: Full-Length Films

Palm Springs International Film Festival

2022 Nominee New Voices/New Visions Grand Jury Prize

Slovene Film Festival

2021 Winner Vesna Best Minority Coproductions

2021 Winner Vesna Best Cinematography (Mitja Licen)

Stockholm Film Festival

2021 Nominee Bronze Horse Best Film

Trieste Film Festival

2023 Winner SNCCI Award Best Italian Film

Annecy Italian Cinema Festival

2021 Winner Audience Award International Competition

Dublin International Film Festival

2022 Winner Dublin Film Critics Award - Best Director

Golden Globes, Italy

2022 Winner Golden Globe Best First Feature (Migliore Opera Prima)

Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival

2022 Winner Emerging Filmmaker Award

Dublin Film Critics Circle Awards

2022 Nominee Best Cinematography (Mitja Licen)

10th place

Golden Ciak Awards

2022 Nominee Golden Ciak Best First Feature (Migliore Opera Prima)

Seville European Film Festival

2021 Winner Audience Award - Historias Extraordinarias

Chéries-Chéris

2021 Winner Acting Prize Best Actor (Celeste Cescutti, Ondina Quadri)

2021 Nominee Grand Prize Chéries-Chéris Feature Film

Bellaria Film Festival (BFF)

2022 Nominee Casa Rossa Best Film (Miglior Film)

References

External links

Small Body at IMDb

Small Body at Rotten Tomatoes